CCTV to Deploy Snell & Wilcox Kahuna for HD Production of 2008 Olympics

March 23, 2007

China Central Television has purchased two Snell & Wilcox Kahuna SD/HD multiformat production switchers to support live HD coverage of sports events including the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

CCTV is the principal broadcaster for the 2008 Olympic Summer Games, for which the company is integrating the Kahuna SD/HD multiformat switcher into its first Olympic A-level outside broadcast van in China.

Kahuna offers simultaneous SD and HD operations in the same mainframe with the same control panel, so the Beijing-based broadcaster can offer its audiences HD content while continuing to use its existing SD equipment. During CCTV's live sports broadcasts, the Kahuna allows operators to mix existing SD camera feeds, graphics, handheld shots, and archive footage directly into an HD production. The Kahuna also offers keying power and the IMPAKT DVE option, which combines eight channels of 3D DVE with straightforward operational logic and premade effects without the need for an outboard DVE unit.

Xue Jun Hong, director of the CCTV transmission center said, "It provides the outstanding performance we require along with the benefit of low delay through the system, small size, low weight, and low power use--all of which are critical in mobile production applications. These features, and our positive experience with Kahuna during the World Cup, made Kahuna the ideal choice for the OB trucks we are building for the 2008 Summer Games."